Stephen McCaffrey

Principal & Chief Policy Officer

Stephen joins Sextons Creek as Principal & Chief Policy Officer and brings extensive state and national experience in healthcare, government affairs, and association management as the President and CEO of Mental Health America of Indiana. Stephen was most recently a Principal with The Third House, LLC, which has subsequently joined with Sextons Creek.

Stephen is a recipient of Indiana’s Sagamore of the Wabash Award and has served as Chair of the Attorney General’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force. He has also served as a member of the Commission on Seclusion and Restraint, the state team for Indiana Evidence Based Decision Making as well as the Board of Directors of Managed Health Services. In addition, Stephen serves on the national board of Mental Health America and Co-Chairs the national MHA Public Policy Committee. Further, Stephen has served on the Board of the National Institute for Public Safety Health.

Stephen has previously served as Chair of the Indiana Division of Mental Health Advisory Committee and on the Board of Directors of the National Mental Health Association, where he served as the Vice Chair for Public Affairs. During that time, he served on the NMHA Public Policy and Affiliate Relations Committees and the NMHA Executive Director Advisory Council. Stephen also served as a member of Mental Health America’s national Regional Policy Council.

Stephen has served as Chair of Hoosiers for a Healthier Indiana. He was also a member of the HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Health Care Stakeholder Group and was Co-Chairman of the DMHA/DDARS Dual Diagnosis Task Force. In addition, Stephen served on the Cenpatico National Advisory Board and the Indiana Interagency Autism Coordinating Council.

Stephen was appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the Indiana State Operated Facilities Council and was appointed to the Indiana Mental Health Commission to oversee the implementation of Mental Health Reform legislation. He was also a gubernatorial appointee to the Indiana CHOICE Board. Stephen also served on the External Advisory Board to the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University. Stephen was elected to the Board of Directors of the Governmental Affairs Society of Indiana where he served as Secretary.

Stephen has served as a gubernatorial appointee on the Adult Guardianship Services Advisory Board, the Housing Trust Fund, and the Medicaid Advisory Committee. He has also served on the Government Affairs Committee of the Governor’s Planning Council for People with Disabilities and was elected vice-president of the Board of Directors for the Indiana Coalition for Human Services. Stephen is a former member of the Board of the American Society of Mental Health Association Professionals and has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Common Cause of Indiana.

Named by the Indiana Business Journal as a member of “Who’s Who in Indiana Health Care,” Stephen came to Mental Health America of Indiana from the Indiana Health Care Association (IHCA) where he directed the governmental affairs of the statewide health care organization. Prior to his work at IHCA, Stephen was appointed Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Public Welfare. In that capacity, Stephen directed the medical and family service programs and policies of the department, which included the office of Medicaid. Previous to that, Stephen held the positions of Public Affairs Director, and then Associate Director for the Community Service Council/United Way.

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Purdue University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Indiana University School of Law.